Operation CupOut Complete: Wolves 2-1 Liverpool

Operation CupOut Complete: Wolves 2-1 Liverpool

Is there another competition in the world that would allow Liverpool supporters a moment to sit back and appreciate their front-line starters more than this? How about that squad depth am I right?

You could tell Jurgen Klopp was really feeling the magic. He revered the cup so much that he put out a side consisting of teenagers and Brodge retreads barely hanging on to their squad numbers. The Reds were leaning on their usual 75th-minute subs, Daniel Sturridge and Shaqiri to lead them to victory. Certainly veterans, Mignolet, Lovren and Moreno were not going to do it.

One absence from the line-up was notable as key-to-the-press Adam Lallana was left out of the squad after Klopp claimed he was healthy. Leave it to LFC Twitter to get to the bottom of the mystery…

If there was a buzz around the line-up it was all about the kids, Rafa Camacho and Curtis Jones. Ki-Jana Hoever was thought a possibility in the morning, but Reds wouldn’t have to wait long for him as it turned out.

A few minutes, scratch that, seconds into the match, Dejan Lovren, fan favourite that he is, limped off. The injury leaves Liverpool with only man-mountain Virgil Van Dijk available with the small matter of a league title to attend to.

On strode the 16-year-old Hoever to save the day. Quoted before the match, he said he decided he wanted to play for Liverpool when he watched The Reds’ triumph in Istanbul… while out drinking… milk… in nursery school.

Dejan Lovren has remained fit for 6 consecutive games just twice during his time at Liverpool.

Tonight's clash against Wolves was his 7th consecutive game, only for him to come off injured in the opening five minutes… 🤨

Hoever and his teamates looked like a side thrown together at the last minute. Though Wolves didn’t look much better considering they put out an eleven that wouldn’t feel out of place in their Premier League matches.

With supporters around the world yawning, expecting Moreno ninja kicks, the match was calling for a moment of inspiration. Leave it to Boring James Milner to add the required excitement to the match as he gifted Wolves one in the 37th minute. For those of you expecting Simon Mignolet to make the save, I’ve got a jar of pear preserves to sell you.

Wolves haven't been the better side but they're up after Milner tries to do I have no damn idea. Meh.

Jermaine Jenas seems surprised a side with three teenage debutants, a midfielder at centre-back and a strike partnership consisting of the third and fourth choice options are not playing all that well against a pretty good Wolves team.

A drab match turned into a downright nightmare as the hero of injury time at Everton drew the ire of Liverpool supporters as he leveled the score with an absolute peach of a goal. By the look on Jurgen Klopp’s face, he might never forgive the Belgian forward.

Not to be accused of throwing the match, Klopp brought on Salah and Firmino in the 70th minute, but all continued to go to plan as they didn’t have much impact. The posts were even in on it, denying a Shaqiri free kick that looked like a sure goal.

Standout moments from Hoever were the only remarkable thing about the closing minutes. With 2 losses on the bounce our inversely perfect January marches on. But if any of you made the mistake of feeling bad about it, Paul Tomkins has the remedy. He reminds us that the only magic of the FA Cup is when it disappears before it hinders your club’s run at trophies that actually matter.

Liverpool have leapt from also-rans who would’ve loved the chance at a cup run a couple of years ago to a club that is happy to bin them off as quickly as possible. It’s good to be in that position… right? Right?

We don't need to win a cup you fucking BBC numpties. We need to try and win the league. Stop talking like the FA Cup still means anything. Winning it did Wenger fuck-all use. As it's a waste of time.